Review nº 18

Name: Cristina Soledad Guzmán
Source: www.economist.com
Date of publication: October 30th 2008


Review nº 18: Article ‘The oldest conundrum’

The oldest occupation since ancient times, prostitution, also represents the oldest problem in history. Although this occupation has evolved throughout time, it is a very slow process that takes place in unequal terms from country to country. This issue is discussed in the article ‘The oldest conundrum’ from a publication of The Economist newspaper.
When the Netherlands legalised brothels 8 years ago, politicians thought that would stop the bad things associated with sex trade. Dutch believed the buying and selling of sexual services would become a freely undertaken transaction, in which the state would only be a regulator and tax-collector. From 1999 Sweden began penalising people who patronise prostitutes, while treating people who sell their bodies as victims. But neither policy is better than the other. In Amsterdam the link between prostitution and organised crime has proved durable. The policemen who patrol Amsterdam’s red-light district reckon that more than half the ladies posing in windows are there against their will. All that helps to explain why the Swedish experience is finding imitators in several countries. In Sweden, the number of streetwalking prostitutes fell about 40%. Moreover, a sex-workers’ association in Sweden says the law makes life dangerous for those who ply their trade secretly. Fear of prosecution reduces the chances that clients will report the exploitation of under-age girls or boys. But Norway and Italy are considering the Swedish-style penalties for buying sex. In Europe, then, things are moving towards tighter regulation. In the U.S., trading sex is a misdemeanour, with the exceptions of Rhode Island and Nevada. So if residents of San Francisco vote for “Proposition K”, which would bar police from taking action against sex workers, it will be a landmark in American history. Supporters say it will transform the role of the police, instead, advocates fo a “no” vote say that if the hands of the police are tied, they will be unable to deal even with the most obvious cases of abuse. But for liberals in search of success stories, New Zeland appears to provide more promising evidence. Since 2003, sex workers are allowed to ply their trade more or less freely, either at home, in brothels or on the street. A study published by the government in May, informed that more than 60% of prostitutes felt they had more power to refuse clients; only about 1% of women in the business were under the legal age of 18; and only 4% said they had been pressured into working by someone else. One big difference with other countries is that brothels are usually run by the sex workers themselves. According to polls, people are sure the number of prostitutes has risen. In many case, from the prostitutes’ point of view, the New Zealand system was the fairest.
This article describes the different attitudes and policies taken in first world countries about prostitution. Some situations seem better for the sex workers than others. In my opinion the government information is not very much reliable because they tend to change the results to their favor. One prove is the opinion given by people in the streets. That is the case of New Zeland, where “people are shure the number of prostitutes has risen” in opposition to the lowered percentages given by the government.
In conclusion, this article explains the situation of prostitution in developed European countries like the Netherlands and Sweden, and the successful policy of New Zeland in relation with new American policies in this field. In my opinion, sex workers deserve a fair treatment by police forces as well as protection by the law in any place they are.